


because, despite

by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Do not repost, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Set It Up au, background Finn/Rose, copious mentions of chicago because it is the best city in the u.s.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22026202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merrymegtargaryen/pseuds/hipgrab
Summary: Ben Solo and Rey Johnson, two overworked and underpaid assistants, come up with a plan to get their bosses off their backs by setting them up with each other--and like good assistants, they go above and beyond.
Relationships: Darth Maul/Qi'ra, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 99
Kudos: 184





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this fic for a WHILE now and I'm really excited to share it with you!! Set It Up is my favorite Netflix romcom, but even if you haven't seen it, you should still enjoy this. I mean, I hope. 
> 
> As always, feel free to hit me with questions/comments/concerns, and to visit me on tumblr at kylorenaissance!

Rey Johnson paces up and down the sidewalk, phone in one hand and green juice in the other.

She hates when her boss goes to his club. Technically, women are allowed, but you have to have a recommendation from the board and three personal references, and Rey doesn’t have any of those things. She’s just a shitty personal assistant to one of the men inside.

Maul Nightbrother is one of the greatest current events writers of the modern world, in Rey’s opinion. Or was, until he decided to start his own webzine and name himself editor-in-chief.

When Rey first started working for Maul, she was excited at the opportunity to work for such an esteemed writer. And she still is, of course, but...well. She’d never imagined that working for Maul meant standing outside his club at eight pm while holding his green juice and frantically texting the guy with whom she was supposed to go on a date. 

As great as it is to work for Maul, as rewarding the work and the promise of becoming a better writer is, it means Rey has absolutely no social life. Maul pulls late hours, which she understands, she really does, because launching your own publication is no easy thing and it means working late nights to see everything through.

However.

Rey would really like it if once, just once, she could have a night to herself. A night that wasn’t spent standing outside his club or sitting at her desk while he reads through article after article, deciding which is ready to premiere on his website. 

Finally, a swarm of men exit the building, one of them being Maul. Rey perks up, juice at the ready as he approaches her. 

“Is the Ord Mantell piece ready?” he asks, smile vanishing as he turns to business.

“Yes sir, Greedo just submitted it.”

“I’ll have to review it--he likes to jump the gun,” Maul sighs, opening his car door.

“Will you want dinner?” she asks, already scribbling down  _ review Greedo Ord Mantell _ .

He gives her a stunned look. “After my juice?”

She swallows. “Well it’s just...sometimes you want dinner and...sometimes you...um…never mind.” She pastes a smile on her face. Her date could be salvageable. “So, that’s it?”

“Yes, I’ll see you back at the office,” he says, getting into the car.

Rey pauses. “Back...at the office?”

“Yes,” he says firmly. “Back at the office. As soon as possible.” And with that, he closes the car door. 

Rey looks at her phone and groans. 

She’s not going on that date tonight.

.

In the same building where Rey is about to meet her boss, Ben Solo is currently jogging around the office. The reason he’s doing this is so that his boss’s fitbit will look as if she’s been working out. She hasn’t, for the record, but she isn’t about to let her trainer know that, so she’s given the dirty work to her assistant--as usual. 

Ben has been working for Qi’ra for almost a year now, and it’s been the longest year of his life. When his father got him in touch with Qi’ra (who, Ben was horrified to realize, is his father’s ex-girlfriend), it had seemed like an easy deal. Personal assistant to a family friend for a year or two, after which he’d get a recommendation and have it made. 

Oh, how wrong he was.

Qi’ra is not an easy boss, and Ben’s relationship to her ex-boyfriend has not given him a single break. He’s run ragged every day, and he can’t even look forward to weekends anymore because Qi’ra needs him for this, that, and the other. 

But it will be worth it, because once Qi’ra writes him a recommendation or even whispers in the ear of one of her friends, Ben’s future will be set. He’ll be the promising young family friend, recommended personally by Qi’ra Corellia. He’ll have almost any job he wants, within reason, and someday he’ll have his  _ own _ assistant.

He’s jogging past her open door when she calls, “Ben!”

He jogs backward, poking his head in her door. “Yes?” he pants.

“Order dinner from that Italian place I like.”

“Uh, of course,” he says, wondering if the restaurant is still open, let alone delivering, and if not, where he can get an acceptable substitute without letting her know it’s a substitute.

He can’t believe he’s using his college degree for this.

.

When Rey gets to the office, panting from her walk, Maul is already waiting for her. 

“Where’s my dinner?” he demands.

She stares at him. “Uh. You said...you said you didn’t want dinner after your...after your juice…”

He just gives her a look of growing expectancy.

“I will go get your dinner,” she says with dread. She turns on her heel, grabbing her wallet and key card. There are a few restaurants still open around here, she just needs to find one--and one that Maul will like. 

She’s on her way out the door when she hears an argument in the lobby. Approaching, she sees a man in a suit facing a man in a hoodie and jeans, the latter holding a takeout bag.

“What do you mean you don’t take cards? This is 2019, this is  _ ridiculous _ ,” the man in the suit is saying.

“Cash only. It’s on the website,” the delivery courier says in a bored tone.

“But I don’t have cash, I have...three credit cards!”

“Cash. Only.”

Realizing that she’s about to have some luck at last, Rey shouts, “I have cash!”

The man in the suit whirls to face her. “Don’t you dare.”

“I do,” she says defiantly, brandishing her wallet. “What kind of grown man doesn’t carry cash, honestly?” Turning to the courier, she asks, “How much?”

“Thirty,” the courier says, still in a bored tone. 

Rey pulls out the bills. “There. Thirty.”

The man in the suit gets on his knees as she takes the bag.

“Please. Have mercy on me. That dinner was supposed to be for my boss, and she’s going to  _ kill _ me if I don’t have anything for her.”

Rey softens, but only a little. “My boss  _ also _ wants dinner and will kill me if I don’t bring it.”

The man’s eyes light up. “There are two dinners--one for me and one for my boss. Let me take the one for my boss and I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”

Rey considers. She’s starving, but she understands the other man’s plight. If she was in his shoes, she’d kill to have the other meal. “Okay,” she allows. “You can have the hamburger.”

“Just a hamburger? No cheese?”

She sets down the two containers and opens them, transferring some of the mac and cheese to the burger. 

“There. See, now it’s a truffle mac and cheese burger.”

“You’re an angel of mercy,” he says gratefully, taking the container.

“Pay me back. Tomorrow,” she says as they both head for the elevators.

“Yes. Of course. Where do you work?”

“Twenty-third floor.”

“Isn’t that that web company?”

“We’re an online publication, yes,” she says. 

“Must be doing well, to get on the twenty-third floor.”

“We are,” she says with pride. “What about you?”

“Forty-fifth.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” he says with his own pride. 

“Must be doing  _ really _ well to be twenty-two floors above us.”

“Oh, we are.” He glances at the takeout container in his hands. “Or, my boss is, anyway. I, on the other hand…”

“I know,” Rey says, tired. “You a PA?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” She holds out her hand. “Rey.”

He takes her hand in his much larger one. “Ben.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben,” she says sincerely.

“And you.”

The elevator stops on her floor and she waves. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” he echoes. “Tomorrow.”

.

As soon as Qi’ra releases Ben for the night, he hops on the red line, grabs a bouquet from the Jewel, and dashes to Bazine’s apartment, smashing the call button next to her apartment number.

A moment later, a sleepy voice asks, “Hello?”

“Hi, I’m so sorry, I know it’s late,” he blurts.

“Who is this?”

Fighting off a momentary tug of annoyance that she wouldn’t remember him, he says, “It’s me. Ben.”

“Oh.” A sigh. “I’m sorry, Ben, it’s late. I’m already asleep.”

Ben decides not to remind her that she isn’t already asleep, because if she was, she wouldn’t be talking to him right now. Instead, he says, “I could wake you up. With my penis.” Then he winces. “I mean...you would be awake, obviously, I would never...I wouldn’t...oh god…”

“Ben, I have a shoot in the morning, and I have to get at least eight hours of sleep, otherwise my face will be puffy.”

He closes his eyes. Right. Her face. Her beautiful, perfect face. 

How Ben managed to land a woman like Bazine is beyond him. She’s  _ insanely _ gorgeous--so gorgeous that she’s a model. She makes daily instagram posts, some of which Ben has taken for her--but only after careful instruction and several thousand attempts. He supposes that you don’t get to be a model from a picture that’s anything less than perfect. She has a work ethic, that much is clear, and that’s why they’re so well-suited for each other. 

“Okay,” he says at last. 

“Good night,” she purrs.

“Good night,” he says, but he thinks she’s already gone back to bed.

.

When Rey gets to leave, she glances down at her phone and sees that Finn has texted her.

_ I need to tell you something--you up? _

Smiling, she texts back,  _ Just got off work. What’s up? _

A moment later, he calls her. That’s how Rey knows it’s important; in the grand tradition of millennials, she and Finn loathe speaking on the phone.

“I’m gonna ask Rose to marry me,” he says all in a rush.

“ _ What _ ?” she blurts. “Finn, we’re too young to get married!”

“Uh, Rey, we’re twenty five,” he reminds her. “That’s a normal age to get married.”

“It’s so...young.  _ I’m _ twenty five,” she realizes. “Holy shit. I’m twenty five.”

“Rey. Focus. I’m going to ask Rose to marry me. Will you help me pick out a ring?”

“Of course,” she says at once. “Yes, Finn, I...I’m so happy for you. Sorry, I just...it was a shock but I’m on board. This is awesome. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” he says, relief creeping into his voice.

“We can go on Saturday.”

“Saturday it is. Love you, Peanut.”

“Love you too.” Rey hangs up and opens the chat window with the guy she was supposed to go on a date with tonight. He hasn’t answered her apologetic texts, and while she didn’t really expect him to, she’s disappointed all the same.

Finn and Rose are getting engaged and she can’t even get a date. Typical.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben doesn’t actually get to pay back Rey until the end of the day. He uses his scant free time during lunch to run across the street to the Chase bank and get cash, so the actual paying her back doesn’t happen until four, when Qi’ra goes to work out with her personal trainer before coming back for a few more grueling hours of work. 

Fortunately for him, Rey’s desk is not hard to find once he gets off the elevator; he doesn’t even need the receptionist to point him in the right direction because he can see her from down the hall. She’s snacking on something while staring at her computer, but she smiles when she sees him.

“Twenty bucks,” he says, proudly handing her the crisp bill. “Keep the extra as my thanks.”

“Thank  _ you _ .” She pockets the bill, hopelessly crumpling it in the process. “Do you like scotch?”

“Uh...sure?” he says in surprise.

She lifts a bottle of it onto the table. “My boss never drinks scotch that’s less than two hundred dollars.”

Ben stares. “I want his life.”

She laughs, pouring some of the amber liquid into a Dixie cup. He accepts it, hissing as the liquid burns down his throat. 

“That bad, huh?”

“No, it’s good,” he says in a strained sort of voice. “Just...oof.”

“I see.” She leans back in her seat. “You look like you need it.”

“I do.”

“Yeah,” she clucks sympathetically. “My boss is...he’s great, he really is, he’s just…”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I know what you mean.” He takes another sip of the scotch. “My boss is a family friend, which I thought would make this job easy, but if this is easy, I pity the S.O.B. who takes the job after me.”

Rey laughs. “She must be a hard-ass.”

“She is. Which. Like. I get it, she had to fight to be recognized during a time when women were having difficulty being recognized for their accomplishments and everything, but law school was a walk in the park compared to this.”

“You went to law school?” she asks in interest.

He winces. “Yes. I...didn’t finish.”

“You don’t have to tell me why,” she assures him. “I just...that’s quite a leap, to go from law school to being a PA for a…”

“CEO of an international trade corporation.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah.”

“The other day,” Rey says conspiratorially, “Maul made me return his jacket, which was non-refundable, by the way, and the sales lady and I both ended up in tears, but I got the refund! And then--”

“He wanted it back.”

“He wanted it back!” she shouts, then claps a hand over her mouth. “Oops. He’s napping.”

“He’s  _ napping _ ?”

“He takes a nap at four so that he can be refreshed enough to keep working after everyone leaves at five,” she explains. “I have to wake him up by playing soft music.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

“I know.”

“He does this every day?” Ben asks, sitting on her desk.

“Every day,” she confirms. “Unless he has a meeting or something. But. Yeah. I haven’t gone home when the sun is still out in...months.”

“Neither have I,” he sympathizes. “Qi’ra is...dedicated to her work.”

“So is Maul. And it’s fine,” she hastens to assure him. “He’s a brilliant man. I just…”

“You miss having a life.”

“I miss having a life,” she agrees. “Not even all the time, just...once or twice a week, it would be nice to go out with my friends or go on a date.”

“I feel that,” he snorts. “I never get to see the girl I’m...seeing.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if our bosses just, like, got laid or something?” Rey jokes. “Then we could have, like, one night of freedom.”

“They should have sex with each other,” he says in the same light tone. “Since they’re both here so late.”

Rey laughs. “Yeah, okay.” She glances at her computer and sighs. “I have to start playing lullabies.”

“You poor bastard.” He throws up a hand as he leaves. “I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you.”

.

On Saturday, Rey goes with Finn to buy an engagement ring. He decides to go with gold, which will match the necklace Rose always wears. Rey thinks it’s sweet that he’s taking Rose’s preferences into such deep consideration, and it definitely helps narrow down the choices since silver seems to be the popular color this season.

“I just can’t believe you guys are getting  _ married _ ,” she says while she and Finn browse.

“Rose has to say yes, first.”

“Okay, but we both know she will,” Rey scoffs. “And then you’ll get married like real adults.”

“Rey, we  _ are _ real adults.”

“Says you.”

Finn finally selects a ring; after signing up for a payment program and pocketing the little velvet box, he and Rey head out of the store.

“Speaking of marriage…”

“Oh no.”

“Rey, you clearly want to date,” he says gently. “But you’re never going to as long as you work for your Maul.”

“I know,” she says pathetically. “But...working for him will ensure my future, and besides, I’m learning  _ so _ much from him.”

“Like how to fire wait staff for dripping condensation on his pants.”

“That was  _ one time _ .”

Finn shakes his head. “You need a new job.”

“I don’t need a new job, I just need for my boss to get laid.” She pauses, remembering her conversation with Ben. “Actually…”

“Rey?” he asks, eyes wide. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing,” she lies. 

But as soon as she gets back to her studio apartment, she pulls her laptop to her and opens a google spreadsheet. This could work. 

.

Ben is adding events to Qi’ra’s calendar when Rey finds him, plopping down across from his desk with her laptop.

“I made something,” she chirps, showing him her Macbook.

It’s a spreadsheet, and from a first glance, it’s an immaculate spreadsheet. 

“What...is this?” he asks, reading the title  _ Maul’s Preferences _ .

“It’s a list of things Maul likes, things he doesn’t like, so on and so forth,” Rey explains. 

“O...kay,” Ben says, eyes scanning the list. “But...why?”

“Because you’re right--our bosses should have sex.”

Ben chokes on his own spit. “I thought we were joking!”

“I was, but then I got thinking, and it’s a  _ brilliant _ idea!”

“It’s a  _ terrible _ idea,” he says, glancing at Qi’ra’s office. She is, mercifully, on the phone and not paying attention to the sloppy-bunned woman at his desk. He’s starting to wonder if Rey is actually an insane person marauding as a PA.

“Ben,” she says, kicking her feet up onto the desk, then deciding better of it and sitting up straight in her chair. “What is Qi’ra’s favorite restaurant?”

“Sopraffina,” he says before he can stop himself. 

“Where will she be at three pm today?”

“The Cubs game.”

“And Ben, what does she hate?”

“Geoff spelled with a G and sour cream.” 

“We know what they like and what they don’t like,” she says with wide, imploring eyes. “We control their  _ entire _ schedules. We are the men behind the curtain. We can get them to do anything.” 

“Rey, this is  _ insane _ .”

“It is, yes, but not as insane as the hours we keep and our lack of social lives!” She leans forward. “Don’t you want to see your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my...yes,” he says, because maybe if he got to spend more time with Bazine she actually  _ would _ be his girlfriend and not just a woman he sees sometimes.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to schedule a date and know you could make it because your boss was otherwise occupied?”

“Well...yes.” He can’t deny that. But… “But it’s still insane. And we would get fired if they ever found out.”

“But if we work together, they won’t find out,” she presses. “Ben,  _ please _ , consider it.”

“I’m considering, and I’m feeling a strong no.” He stands up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to take my not-girlfriend to lunch.” He grabs his bag and heads to the door.

“Should I send this to you?” she calls after him.

“Please don’t.”

.

Bazine is waiting at the table when Ben shows up.

“Hi,” he says, kissing her cheek. He kisses her cheek because he’d gone for her lips, but she’d turned her head at the last second.

“Hi. I already ordered the kale salad.”

“Oh...great,” he says, trying not to show his disappointment. Kale salad is...not what he’d planned to order.

Bazine takes a deep breath as she and Ben sit down. “Listen, I need to talk to you about something.”

Ben’s stomach lurches. “Okay…”

She drums perfectly manicured fingers on the tabletop. “Look, I’m gonna be traveling a lot, and you’re so busy all the time--”

“No!” he says loudly, wincing as the surrounding tables turn to stare at him. He takes a deep breath and reaches for Bazine’s hand. “Listen, I’m gonna get promoted real soon, and then I won’t be busy all the time. I won’t be an assistant, I’ll be someone who  _ has _ an assistant.”

She gives him a small smile. “Okay. But don’t expect me to wait around forever, Ben Solo.”

.

“Okay,” Rey says, standing at the door of Maul’s office with her notepad and pen. “So, tomorrow morning we run the Rosen story--”

“No,” Maul says, not looking up from his computer. “Rosen needs a rewrite.”

Rey tries not to panic--without the Rosen story, they’ll be missing a huge portion of the periodical, and she doesn’t know what other stories can fill that gap. It will, she’s sure, become her problem. “So...what are we doing instead?”

“What do you  _ think _ we’re doing?” 

She bites her lip. “Uh...I don’t know?”

“We’re running the Kessel Run story,” he says testily. “It’s the best we’ve got. Unless  _ you _ have a story hidden under those split ends.”

“I don’t,” she says, backing away--and then pauses. “Actually,” she says, turning back, heart thumping. “I do...have a story. Well, sort of. I haven’t actually written it yet. But,” she says before he can scoff, “I have an...idea. For a story. A human interest story. About this girl who’s looking for her parents. Because they left her behind to keep her safe, you see. And she grew up waiting for them to come back before she decided that she would have to find them herself. And now she’s blasting social media trying to find them.” Her eyes are watering and her throat is thick. 

“Are you okay?” Maul asks, visibly perturbed.

“I’m great,” she sniffles. “And I’m gonna queue the Kessel Run story. Right now.” She turns on her heel and heads to her desk--where, she is surprised to see, Ben is waiting for her. 

“Can I help you?” she asks, wiping her nose.

He furrows his brow. “Are you...okay?” 

“I’m fine. What’s up?”

He shows her his laptop, where he’s made a spreadsheet of Qi’ra’s likes and dislikes. “I’m in.”

Rey grins at him. “Excellent.”


	3. Chapter 3

The assistants spend the next couple of days reading over each other’s lists and familiarizing themselves with the respective bosses. Rey comes to find that she admires Qi’ra; Ben, similarly, learns that Maul is an incredible man. And this without ever having to meet Maul or Qi’ra in person.

“Okay,” Rey says when they coordinate lunch breaks, furiously typing on her laptop. “What do they have in common? How can we make them run into each other?”

“With faith, trust, and pixie dust,” Ben quips. “Mostly because Qi’ra has no interest in publications like Maul’s and he sounds very anti-corporate.”

“He is,” Rey says dreamily.

Ben rolls his eyes. “So, any suggestions?”

“Maybe they meet at the gym?”

“Qi’ra has a personal trainer.”

“Does she ever go to the bar on the thirty-third floor?”

“Sometimes,” he says, looking hopeful. 

“Maybe I can book Maul into a meeting there.”

“Though, we can’t guarantee they’d find each other,” he points out. 

“If only we could get them stuck in an elevator together…”

They look at each other.

“Nah,” they say at the same time. 

“So what are we going to do? What’s one place our very different yet compatible bosses could meet?”

“Somewhere they have to sit in the same place.”

“So, assigned seating?”

“So, like a movie?”

“You can’t talk during a movie, though.”

Rey whips her head up to look at Ben. “Does Qi’ra have good Cubs seats?”

“No, she has terrible seats, because she’s a peasant.”

“Really?”

“No, she has the best seats.” He’s already pulling up the schedule. “I’ll pencil in a meeting with a client.”

“And I’ll pencil in a meeting with Maul’s client.”

They grin at each other over the tops of their laptops.

“ _ Perfect _ .”

.

It isn’t hard to set the plan in motion; between the two of them, Ben and Rey are very resourceful, and their bosses rely on them so much that they don’t think to question the mysterious meetings at Wrigley Field--even if they do show their disdain at such a location. 

Thankfully, it’s a day game, which means Rey has little trouble booking the seats directly behind Qi’ra’s. It also means she has no trouble booking cheap seats for herself and Ben.

He’d had half a mind to invite Bazine to the game, just as an excuse to hang out with her, but then he’d thought about his model girlfriend sitting on bleachers and drinking cheap beer and decided that no, inviting Bazine was not something he wanted to do. Knowing her, she’s probably at some amazing event with the Jenners or something.

“What if this doesn’t work?” he asks nervously the morning they set their plan in motion. “I mean, what if they don’t talk to each other and just watch the game?”

“There is a deep sense of camaraderie at baseball games, especially at Wrigley,” she points out. “They’re  _ bound _ to have a conversation of some kind. And even if they don’t get together right away, at least we’re laying down the foundation. It won’t be hard to...prod them along.”

She’s right, but Ben can’t help thinking of all the ways this plan could go horribly wrong.

Maul and Qi’ra leave for Wrigley within minutes of each other; as soon as the coast is deemed clear, Ben and Rey meet at the elevators and then head for the red line. 

“The red line...is so peaceful...when it’s not morning rush hour,” Rey says in awe. 

“I know, it’s almost...nice,” Ben agrees. “Or as nice as CTA can be.”

“It’s a low bar,” she agrees. “I live off the blue line--”

“You mean the poo line?”

“Pretty much. It does have a certain fecal quality to it.”

“A bit different from the Tube, huh?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I never rode it.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Never?”

“There’s more of England than just London, you know,” she reminds him. 

“When did you move here?” he asks, shifting to let a passenger off the train. 

She adjusts her hold on the grips, looking up at him. “When I was eighteen. I came for school, but I didn’t really have a place to go home to, so I applied for citizenship.”

“Where did you go to school?”

“University of Chicago,” she says with a shy smile.

He raises his eyebrows. “You must be smart.”

“The admissions people thought so.”

“You don’t think you’re smart?”

She shrugs. “I’m just an assistant. I call myself a writer, but I haven’t written anything original in  _ ages _ .”

“I’m just an assistant too,” he says wryly. “And I’m pretty sure I’m older than you. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“But you don’t want to stay an assistant forever, do you?”

He shakes his head.

“That’s what I’m talking about. It’s all well and good to be an assistant, but the other day, I saw Maul give a guy free writing advice just because they share an alma mater. I’m his  _ assistant _ and he’s never given me any writing advice.”

Ben considers this. “Have you ever asked him?”

She blinks, startled. “What?”

“Have you ever asked him?” he repeats. “For writing advice?”

She just keeps staring. “No? That’s...far too presumptuous.”

“No it’s not. He’s your boss.”

“Would  _ you _ ask Qi’ra for advice?”

“That’s different,” he insists. “You and Maul are both writers.”

“And you and Qi’ra are both trying to reach the top of the corporate ladder,” she points out. “Not so different.”

“They are too,” he mutters stubbornly.

Rey shakes her head. “My  _ point _ is, I don’t want to be an assistant forever. I want to be someone with potential. Someone Maul sees as, not necessarily an equal, but someone who does more than just get him his coffee.”

“I get that,” Ben says. “I also want that. But I can’t earn Qi’ra’s respect until I’ve worked for her for a couple years.”

_ “Next stop is...Addison,” _ the robotic male voice says over the PA, and Ben and Rey turn towards the doors.  _ “Doors open on the left at Addison.” _

Ben takes a deep breath and follows Rey off the train.

.

While Ben is off getting nachos, Rey goes up to the booth where the camera operators sit.

“You’re not supposed to be up here,” they grumble, but none of them look particularly motivated to get rid of her.

She holds up two twenties and a ten. “I need you to put the Kiss Cam on these two people and not give up until they kiss.”

“I can do that,” one of the younger guys says. “What seats are they sitting in?”

She hands him a slip of paper. 

“What do they look like?”

“One is a sensual woman with dark hair and a fierceness that’s both scary and inspiring.” She pauses. “The other is a guy.”

“I’ll make it happen,” the camera operator says, pocketing the fifty bucks. “Depend on it, kid.”

Satisfied with her task, Rey skips down to her seat, where Ben is already waiting with a heaping plate of nachos. 

“I see why they call them nosebleeds,” he says wryly. “I also forgot how much I hate baseball.”

“I know, it’s the  _ worst _ ,” she agrees. “America’s favorite pastime is  _ boring _ .”

A few people around them throw disgruntled looks their direction, but neither Rey nor Ben is paying attention. 

“So where are our lovebirds sitting?”

“Right above the ‘Stadium’,” Rey says, pointing. “See how Maul is in the second row behind the U?”

Ben peers and sees that she’s right. “So where’s Qi’ra?”

But a second later, the woman herself comes down the steps, clad in a stylish black romper, heels, and designer sunglasses. 

“A goddess,” Rey decides.

Qi’ra takes the seat in front of Maul, and through Rey’s phone camera, they can see that Maul is definitely checking her out. After a moment, she turns to look at him, and they chat for a few minutes. Then, to Rey’s extreme pleasure, Maul gets up and sits beside Qi’ra. 

Rey grabs Ben’s arm, tugging in exultation. “This is going so well!”

It is, and not a moment too soon, because out comes the Kiss Cam. It goes straight to Maul and Qi’ra, who good-naturedly wave away the camera. People boo when they don’t kiss, and the camera switches to another couple, who kiss immediately. There’s another couple, then another, and then the camera switches back to Maul and Qi’ra, with the announcer wondering if these two will change their minds. Rey’s fingers and toes are clenched, desperate to see them kiss.

Maul shakes his head, holding up a hand, but Qi’ra’s laughing; she leans in to whisper something to Maul, and a smile breaks out over his face too. Still, he won’t kiss her.

“They are so  _ close _ ,” Ben growls in frustration. 

The camera shows another couple, and then another, and then whizzes back to Maul and Qi’ra. By this point, Rey is gnawing on her fingernails. After a moment, Maul turns, presumably to kiss her on the cheek--but then Qi’ra turns her head and kisses him fully on the lips. Everyone cheers, but none louder than Ben and Rey, who not only leap to their feet, but also embrace each other in their excitement. 

Finally, their plan has worked. And if it keeps working, they are about to have free time for the first time in a very, very long time. 

.

They head back to the office not long after the kiss, knowing that their work can’t sit idle just because their bosses are away. But as the hours pass, no calls or emails come through--their bosses have completely forgotten about work.

Ben comes down to Rey’s level to help her flip through guys on Tinder. By the time five o’clock rolls around, they both have dates--he with Bazine and she with a heavily tattooed bartender. 

Rey races home from the blue line, changing into something cute before hopping in a Lyft.

Walking into the restaurant, she looks around, sees a hand thrown up in recognition, and smiles. She’s right on time.

.

At a sleek (though admittedly somewhat trashy) bar in Logan Square, Ben and Bazine are dancing in a club with flashing lights and a bass that thumps right into Ben’s very existence. He doesn’t like the loud noise and crush of bodies, so as soon as he gets the opportunity, he leans down and murmurs, “Let me show you how much I’ve missed you.”

Bazine looks up at him through her lashes. She nods, once, and then Ben takes her hand and leads her out the door.

He’s getting laid tonight.

.

Rey has a good time on the date. Ryan is nice, but just nice, and she doubts she’ll see him again. The important thing is that she went on a date at all, and hopefully will again in the future.

In the morning, she gets to the office at the usual time--but Maul isn’t there. 

She immediately buzzes Ben, who picks up on the first ring.

“Qi’ra’s not here either,” he says, answering her unspoken question.

“Do you think they died?” she asks.

“Of what, sex?”

“Oh god, what if they were in a horrible accident?”

“I’m pretty sure we’d know about it.”

“But how?!” At that moment, she sees Maul coming down the hallway. “Never mind, he’s here.” She hangs up and springs to attention. “Your coffee’s a little cold, I’m so sorry--”

“It’s fine,” he says absently, picking up the cup as he stares at his phone. Something on the screen makes him smile.

_ Who are you and what have you done with my boss _ ?

.

On the forty-fifth floor, Ben is having a similarly bizarre experience. 

Qi’ra actually walks up to him and asks, “Would you mind getting me an Americano?”

“Would I mind?” he asks before he can help it. He grins. “It would be an  _ honor _ .”

“Okay, don’t make it weird,” she says, gliding off to her office.

When Ben returns, she thanks him with a smile and then makes some vague statement about a meeting she has to attend later in the afternoon.

“But you don’t have a meeting this afternoon,” he starts to say, and then sees the significant look on her face. “I mean, right, the meeting,” he amends. “I’ll hold all your calls.”

“Thank you, Ben,” she says sweetly.

_ Sweetly _ .

.

Sure enough, at three, Qi’ra gathers her things before stopping by Ben’s desk. “I’m leaving--I won’t be back,” she informs him, tugging on her clothes somewhat nervously. 

He smiles until she disappears into the elevator, at which point he grabs his things, shuts down his computer, and trots down to the twenty-third floor. Rey is at her desk, grinning.

“Maul is gone for the rest of the day!” she announces gleefully. 

“So is Qi’ra!”

“It’s still daylight!” she crows. “And I’m getting out of here before they change their minds and come back.”

“If you were either one of them, would you really change your mind and come back to work?”

“True,” she concedes, grabbing her things. 

“How was your date last night?” he asks as they head for the elevators.

“It was okay,” she says, shrugging. 

“Just okay?” 

“He was nice, but not...there wasn’t a  _ spark _ .”

“This isn’t a harlequin romance novel, you know.”

“You’ve never felt a spark?” she asks, surprised.

“Have you?” he asks with equal surprise.

She shakes her head regretfully. “I’ve never even had a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or a...partner of any kind.”

“Because you’re waiting for a spark?” 

She shrugs. “What’s the point of dating someone if there’s no spark?”

“You do know the spark isn’t real, right?”

“Counter-point: it’s real and men make women believe it isn’t real so that women will lower their standards.”

Ben considers this. “That’s...actually a good point. Huh.” He frowns. “There wasn’t a spark with Bazine.”

“Oh, was there not?” Rey asks with feigned surprise.

Before Ben can begin to ponder what  _ that _ means, the elevator doors open and Rey skips out. “See you!”

“Yeah,” Ben calls after her. “See you.” 

.

When Rey texts Finn to hang out after work, he agrees, his surprise evident in his texts.

“Did you get fired?” he asks when he lets himself into her apartment.

“Nope,” Rey says from where she’s munching on a bowl of popcorn and watching Netflix. This is the most content she’s felt in a long time.

Finn frowns. “What happened? Why’re you home?”

“My boss is getting laid.”

He gets an affronted look on his face. “I didn’t need to know that.”

“He’s getting laid, so he went home early, and so did I.”

“Won’t you get in trouble if he finds out?” Finn asks, kicking off his shoes.

“He won’t, though. Because with any luck he’s balls deep in--”

“I don’t want to know.” 

.

Ben’s roommate expresses similar shock at seeing him home so early.

“Did you finally quit?”

“Nope,” Ben responds cheerfully. “Qi’ra’s seeing someone, so she left early.”

“Oh,” Poe says, visibly let down by this announcement. 

“Also, Bazine’s coming over tonight.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Poe says in an unusually high-pitched voice.

Ben raises his eyebrows. “Why did you say it like that?”

“I didn’t say it any special way,” Poe lies, reaching into the fridge for a beer.

“Yes you did. What’s up?”

Poe hesitates as he cracks open the can. “It’s just...Bazine is kind of...vapid?”

“Vapid?” Ben repeats in surprise. “Just because she’s a model--”

“It’s not just because she’s a model, although that is a contributing factor, I suppose,” Poe admits, hopping up onto the counter. “She just...lacks substance.”

“What do you mean?” Ben asks, his heart rate rising exponentially. How much substance does a girl need to have?

“I just think you’re dating her because she’s the first girl in a long time to pay attention to you,” Poe says carefully. “And I don’t think she even pays that much attention to you.”

“Fuck you.”

Poe holds up his hands. “You asked.”

“I didn’t ask for you to insult me and my girlfriend,” Ben snaps, face reddening from more than just anger--it’s embarrassment. 

“I’m not insulting you.”

“It sure feels like you are.”

Poe sighs. “Look, buddy...do you and Bazine even talk?”

“Yes!” Ben says a little too quickly. “We text all the time.”

“Really. What do you text about?”

Ben wracks his brain, trying to think of a way to sidestep the fact that most of Bazine’s texts are pictures. “Private stuff.”

“What do you even know about her, besides that she’s a model?” Poe asks.

“Uh…” He’s blanking. “She uses La Mer products. She’s lactose intolerant. Or is it...gluten free…” He trails off, trying to remember.

“Don’t you ever have, like, intimate conversations?” Poe presses.

“Yes,” Ben lies. “But it’s not...she’s not like...she’s not my  _ friend _ , you know? She’s my girlfriend.”

“GirlFRIEND,” Poe emphasizes. “She’s supposed to be your friend--maybe even your best friend.”

“Why do you care so much?” Ben snaps.

Poe slides off the counter. “Because I think you’re with each other for the wrong reasons, and eventually it’s going to break your heart, and then I’m gonna have to deal with the emotional clean-up.”

“You can’t even clean up your room, how are you going to clean up my emotions?”

Poe points an accusatory finger at him.  _ “Exactly!” _


	4. Chapter 4

Rey is munching on chips when a text from Ben comes through.

**_Is your girlfriend supposed to be your friend?_ **

She frowns at the text.

_ Yes?? _

**_But she’s your girlfriend, not a friend._ **

_ “Friend” is right there in the name. _

**_Semantics._ **

_ Ben, do you really not think of your girlfriend as a friend?! _

**_She’s my girlfriend, not a friend!_ **

_ You shouldn’t be dating if this is how you view girlfriends. _

There’s a long pause, during which Rey assumes Ben is mulling this over, but then another text comes through.

**_MAUL NEEDS TO CALL QI’RA ASAP_ **

It only takes Rey a moment to grasp the seriousness of the situation. She stands up at her desk, brain racing to try and think of a way to get her boss to call Qi’ra. 

And then, she has an idea. It will mean debasing and humiliating herself, but when doesn’t she do that for Maul on a daily basis? Pushing back her shoulders, she walks into Maul’s office.

“Hey, boss,” she says in a bright tone, wincing at her false cheeriness.

“What is it?” he asks, intent on something on his screen.

She takes a deep breath. “Can I ask you for some...dating advice?”

Maul whips his head to look at her, his eyes concerned. “ _ Dating _ ?”

“Yeah.” She fiddles with the hem of her cardigan. “It’s just. I’d like the...male perspective.” And before he can stop her, she rushes on, “See, I went out with this guy the other night, and we had a great time, but he hasn’t called me back.”

Maul leans back in his chair, chuckling. “Isn’t there a three day rule?”

With a great show at indignance, Rey rolls her eyes. “Come on, this isn’t the nineties. In our modern world of communication, what excuse does any guy have for not calling the day after? Or at least  _ texting _ .”

Maul fixes her with a gaze that she’s sure means he’s onto her. But then he says, “Interesting. I did not know about this.”

“Might be a millennial thing,” she concedes. “But it’s how all modern relationships work.”

“Interesting,” he says, his eyes flickering to his phone.

Seeing that her work is done, Rey sidles back to her desk, where she watches Maul pick up his phone and dial. Though she can’t hear what he’s saying, she can detect a warm tone of voice and a smile on his face.

A moment later, a text from Ben pops up.

**_THANK YOU_ **

_ No prob, Bob. _

.

Except, it is definitely a problem.

Ben says as much to Rey next time they’re both grabbing coffee from the Starbucks on the first floor. 

“If I hadn’t told you to make Maul call Qi’ra, he never would have done it, and then she could’ve gotten mad and never talked to him again, and our experiment would have failed,” he points out. “It wasn’t enough to set them up together, we have to  _ keep _ monitoring their relationship so that it works out for us.”

“Jesus,” Rey says, face pale. “We have to do this...forever?”

“Maybe not forever,” he allows. “But long enough.”

“Well...okay, we can do that,” she says optimistically. “Right?”

“Sure,” he says. 

“It’ll be like  _ The Parent Trap _ .”

“Or  _ Cyrano de Bergerac _ .”

“ _ Cyrano _ has a very unhappy ending.”

“Fair, but Cyrano and I both have big noses, so.”

“I see your point.”

.

Over the next month, Ben and Rey work hard to keep their bosses’ relationship on the right track. It isn’t hard; between the two of them, they know their own bosses perhaps better than their bosses themselves, and they’re able to send the perfect gifts and corresponding notes without ever once giving themselves away. It helps that Rey is a woman and Ben is a man, because they’re each able to leave notes and gifts for their bosses that are exactly what a man and woman would want to find on their desk first thing in the morning. 

And they reap the rewards; Maul and Qi’ra come in late, leave early, and barely contact their assistants over the weekends.

The key word is  _ barely _ . Because they still do, from time to time. And it isn’t much, but Rey realizes that it’s going to be a problem as soon as she gets Finn’s facebook invite to his and Rose’s engagement party.

“We  _ have _ to make sure they’re gone that weekend,” she tells Ben. “I absolutely  _ cannot _ miss this engagement party.”

“So what do we do?” he asks, sipping his coffee.

She grins. “I’m glad you asked, Benjamin. Maul is going to take Qi’ra on a weekend getaway to the Dells.”

“To the  _ Dells _ ?” he asks, wrinkling his nose. “Why would anyone go to the  _ Dells _ ?”

“Because there’s a wine festival there that weekend,” she says, pleased as punch that she’s come up with this. “I’m going to plant all the information so that Maul  _ thinks _ it’s his idea, but actually it’s ours, and because they’ll be getting sloshed and getting laid in  _ Wisconsin _ , we won’t get called or emailed.”

“You, madam, are a gentleman and a scholar,” he praises. “This is perfect, because Bazine’s modeling agency is throwing this party next Saturday, and if I show up, it’ll let all the other guys know that she’s still got a boyfriend.”

“If you say so,” Rey says absently, checking the texts on her phone. She smiles.

“Oooooh, who ya smiling at?” he asks obnoxiously.

“No one,” she lies, trying to hide her phone, but Ben grabs it and scans the chat window.

“Well, I’ll say this: his dirty talk leaves something to be desired.”

“Shut up,” she says, flushing. “I know it does, I’m a  _ writer _ , but he’s...nice. And the first person I’ve had sex with since I got this job.”

Ben raises his eyebrows again. “ _ Really _ ?”

“What, like you’ve had time for sex since starting with Qi’ra?” she asks defensively.

“No, it’s not that,” he says, but he doesn’t know quite how to put it into words. It’s almost like he doesn’t want this guy talking to Rey and having sex with her. Which is ridiculous, of course, because he’s not  _ interested _ in Rey.

“Then what is it?” she demands, still defensive.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Just...you’ve never had a boyfriend before, right?”

“No,” she says, suspicious. 

“So this is a big deal for you, right? Hooking up with someone?”

“It wasn’t hooking up, it was…” She shakes her head. “I don’t know how to explain it. We’re not...together...per se...but we’re not  _ not _ together.”

“Don’t text him back,” Ben urges.

She frowns. “Why not?”

“Because you want to play it cool. If you respond to his every text, he’ll think you’re desperate.”

“That’s an old-fashioned and frankly  _ sexist _ \--”

“Trust me,” he emphasizes. “Bazine barely texts me and I’m crazy about her.”

“Yeah, but that’s you,” she says, but she does look convinced. She glances at her phone and then puts it away. 

“Thatta girl.”

“Please don’t ever say that again.”

“Yes ma’am.”

.

The plan goes off almost without a hitch. Maul sees the material Rey plants for him; one call up to Qi’ra’s office and he’s booking a trip. They’ll leave Friday afternoon, during the day, and the office will be closed all weekend.

Everything is going perfectly.

Until it isn’t.

.

Maul comes into the office on Friday morning positively dripping with anger. 

“Change of plans,” he barks at Rey. “The office is open all weekend.”

Her eyes widen. This is  _ not good _ . She grabs her phone and shoots off a hurried text to Ben. 

_ What the hell happened?! _

.

Upstairs, Ben is wondering the same thing.

“I was proposed to  _ many _ times in my twenties!” Qi’ra is seething as she paces like a caged tiger. “I could be  _ thrice _ divorced by now!”

He glances down at his phone and sees the text from Rey. So Maul is upset too. This does not bode well for their weekend. 

.

As soon as the two assistants have a moment, they dash for the elevator and meet at the Starbucks.

“We have to fix this,” Rey says. “Maul tried to fire the mailman today.  _ The mailman _ .”

“What can we do?” Ben asks, tugging at his hair. 

“We don’t know whose fault it is,” she thinks aloud. “So we don’t know who needs to apologize. Or how.”

“What if we sent flowers to Qi’ra and, I don’t know, alcohol, to Maul?” he tosses out wildly. “And made it seem like it was from the other?”

“What if they bring it up?” she counters. “If Qi’ra thanks him for the flowers and he says he didn’t send her any, then it sounds like. I don’t know. Like she’s cheating on him.”

“Qi’ra would  _ never _ ,” Ben says indignantly.

“I  _ know _ that, but Maul is angry at her and he can be a bit...blinded by his emotions,” she points out. “We have to go about this carefully, because I  _ need _ tomorrow night free.”

“Yeah, and I need tomorrow afternoon free,” he agrees. 

They think while they wait for their coffees. 

“What do you and Bazine do when you fight?” Rey asks.

Ben considers her question. “I don’t know. We don’t really fight.”

For some reason, Rey looks disappointed. “Oh.” 

Their names are called and they move forward to accept their coffees.

“I think I might have an idea,” Rey says. “I’ve used this...fake boyfriend thing with Maul before, I might pull it out again.”

“Fake boyfriend?”

“It’s how I got him to call Qi’ra,” she explains. “Maybe I can...I don’t know. Devolve into female hysterics and cry about my supposed boyfriend.”

Ben considers this and what he knows about Rey’s boss. “I feel like that would just deter Maul.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I can play my cards right.”

“You’re a writer, not an actor,” Ben points out.

She sighs. “I haven’t written, like, anything since I started working for Maul--maybe acting is my passion after all.”

“I think you missed your  _ true _ calling as a matchmaker.”

“Regardless, I’m going to have to pull out the theatrics to get Maul to believe me.” She takes a deep breath as they get onto the elevator. “Wish me luck.”

“Don’t you tell actors to break their legs?” he asks mildly.

“Don’t do that, I don’t have health insurance.”

.

But when Rey gets back to the office, it turns out she doesn’t have to pull out the female hysterics after all, because Qi’ra is in Maul’s office. And not just standing inside his office, either; she’s sitting on his lap, smiling tenderly at him as he kneads her bottom.

Rey immediately ducks out of the office and calls Ben.

“Qi’ra’s in Maul’s office.”

“Uh-oh.”

“She’s sitting in his lap.”

“ _ What _ ?”

“They resolved their issues like adults. Our babies are growing up.”

“Please never call our bosses ‘our babies’ ever again.”

“Right. Sorry. Point is, we are a  _ go _ for this weekend.”

“Roger that.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating this a couple days early because waiting a week between updates just feels like too long. Enjoy!

With their bosses in the Wisconsin Dells and hopefully too preoccupied with wine and sex to contact their assistants, Ben and Rey get ready for the weekend ahead of them. They start off with a celebratory brunch, enjoying being two of Chicago’s many, many Saturday morning brunchers. 

“To us,” Rey says, holding up her mimosa after they’ve been seated and served.

Ben holds up his own mimosa. “To us.” They clink glasses and drink the champagne infused orange juice.

“What are you doing with your free day?” he asks as they dig back into their food.

“I’m not really sure,” Rey admits. “I was gonna hang out with that guy I’ve been seeing, but he won’t answer my calls or texts so I guess I’m gonna write to distract myself.”

Ben feels his heart lurch. How  _ dare _ anyone treat Rey like this. Rey is one of the sweetest and most giving people he knows; how could any guy blow her off? “What an asshole.”

She shrugs. “It’s fine. I was trying so hard to not be clingy that I think I went the total opposite direction and he thinks I’m not into him or something.”

“Still an asshole,” Ben says stubbornly. 

She shrugs again. “What can you do?”

He reaches across the table, enfolding her hand in his. “Why don’t you come to Bazine’s party with me?”

She raises her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’m already bringing my roommate, why not bring another person?” 

“But aren’t you, like, Bazine’s plus one?”

“So you and Poe will be my plus twos,” he says carelessly. “It’ll be a lot of fun--good food, which no one will eat because they’re models, and--”

“You’ve sold me,” she says at once. “Let’s go.”

And that’s how Ben finds himself bringing Rey and Poe to Bazine’s company’s party. His plus twos, by the way, have become fast friends in a matter of minutes, and he almost regrets introducing them because now they’ve ganged up on him and are mocking him mercilessly.

“I take you to an exclusive party and this is how you treat me?” he complains.

“Yeah, pretty much,” they say in near unison.

As soon as they get to the rooftop where the pool party is taking place, Ben says, “Look at all the hot guys here!”

Poe raises his eyebrows. “Aren’t you dating Bazine?”

“Rey is being ghosted,” Ben clarifies. “And I think this party is a perfect opportunity to move on.”

“Fuck that guy,” Poe decides. “Does he follow you on instagram? You should post pictures of yourself hanging out with all these hot dudes so he’ll get jealous.”

“Or, Rey could hook up with one of these hot dudes instead of going back to a guy that clearly doesn’t deserve her,” Ben says haughtily, because Rey deserves better than that asshole.

Poe gives him a look he can’t quite make out. “That works too.”

Bazine sashays towards them wearing a black bikini and gauzy checkered wrap. Ben kisses her, arm around her shoulders. “Baz, you know Poe, and this is Rey.”

“Hi,” Rey says with a smile that’s unlike her. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Bazine gives a small laugh but says nothing. 

“I heard there was food,” Rey says in a second attempt at conversation.

“Um. Yeah.” Bazine glances at Ben. “I need to mingle.”

“Oh. Okay.” He deflates a bit. “We’ll be...by the food.”

“‘Kay.” She sashays away, going up to a group of painfully stylish men.

“What did you do to get in the doghouse?” Rey asks, eyes wide.

“Nothing,” he says defensively. “She needs to mingle.”

Rey and Poe exchange a look. 

“Shut up and eat.”

.

Even without Bazine, the party turns out to be quite fun. The three of them eat a healthy amount of food since the attendees are all watching their figures, and when they’re full, they play beer pong, Rey and Poe teaming up to play against Ben. They hug after beating him, so hard that they fall into a couch and nuzzle each other as if they’ve been friends for years.

“Stop that,” he tells them. “You’re not friends.”

“We’re like best friends now,” Rey counters. 

“Yeah, I love her,” Poe agrees.

“I love  _ you _ !” she squeals back.

Ben rolls his eyes.

Bazine slips up behind him then, wrapping her arms around his waist. “They look cute together.”

Ben gives a double take. “Rey and Poe?”

“Mm-hmm,” she says. “I mean, anyone looks good with Poe, but especially her.”

Ben has always known that Poe is an attractive man, but he’s never thought about...well, about Poe and Rey... _ together _ . But he  _ is _ struck by what an attractive pairing the two make, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms, Rey laughing at something Poe is saying with a smile. It makes something foreign and unpleasant rise up in him, some irrational kind of anger at the way they’re nestled in each other’s arms. 

“Rey,” he asks loudly, “don’t you have to get going to Finn’s engagement party?”

Rey glances at her phone. “Oh my god, you’re right!” She stands up. “Well, thanks for inviting me.” Her face looks suddenly sad. “It was a nice distraction.”

Ben glances at Bazine and then back at Rey, and in that moment he makes a decision.

“I’ll go with you,” he says, stepping away from Bazine.

“ _ What _ ?” both women ask.

Ben fixes his eyes on Bazine, who’s been ignoring him this whole time. “I would love to be your date to Finn’s party.”

Bazine’s mouth falls open. Ben turns back to Rey, whose mouth is doing the same.

“Are you sure?” she asks uncertainly. 

“Positive.” 

“Ben…” Bazine says, but he’s already taking Rey’s hand and leaving the party with her. 

“Uh...what was that?” she asks as soon as they’re on the elevator.

“If she thinks it’s okay to invite me to a party and then ignore me, she’s got another think coming,” Ben says firmly. “And anyway, I’d much rather go to an engagement party than stick around these models.”

“Fair point,” Rey says, smiling a little. “What about Poe?”

“Poe will probably go home with one of them,” he says, suppressing a flash of irritation that she would think about Poe at a time like this. “He’s kind of a slut, you know.”

Rey laughs. “I got that vibe, but I wasn’t gonna say anything.”

He hesitates. “Do you...like him?”

“Of course I like him.” Rey glances at him and her eyes widen. “Oh...you mean do I  _ like _ him?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles.

She shakes her head. “No. Why, did he say anything?”

Ben sighs. He hates this “what did they say about me?” game. “No, I just...Bazine said you two looked cute together.”

“Yeah, well, that’s part of her job, isn’t it?” Rey asks, checking her phone. “Finding picture-worthy people and things?”

Ben’s...never quite thought about Bazine’s job in those terms before, but he can’t deny that she has a point--Bazine is a model, and she has to know what’s camera-worthy if she’s going to excel in her field. Rey and Poe look good together, but that doesn’t mean they  _ are _ good together.

And Ben and Bazine...also look good together. But what that means for how they feel about each other…

Well. He doesn’t want to think about that right now. Right now, he’s going to an engagement party.

.

Finn’s engagement party, not unlike Bazine’s company’s party, is being held on a rooftop, which seems to be the popular thing to do on a sunny day in Chicago. Rey weaves through the crowd until she finds Finn, leaping into his arms and interrupting the conversation he’s having. 

“Happy engagement party!” she trills.

“Thanks, Peanut!” He glances at Ben and turns to her with a grin. “Is that him?” he whispers.

“Oh...no,” she says, face falling a little. “No, this is Ben, we...work together.”

“Hi Ben,” Finn says without losing stride, shaking the other man’s hand. 

“Hi--congratulations,” Ben says. 

Rey watches the two men, filled with a sudden desperation for them to get along. She doesn’t know why, since she doubts they’ll meet again anytime soon, if ever. It’s just...Finn is her best friend, and Ben...Ben is a good friend of hers too. Maybe a better friend than she realized.

.

Ben has a  _ blast _ at the engagement party--much more so than he’d had at Bazine’s company’s party. Finn and Rose’s friends are much more down to earth, much more laid back than Bazine’s, and Ben finds himself liking Rose a lot. Where Rey and Finn seem to be silly and full of youthful exuberance, Rose is like Ben; calmer and quieter, more content to observe the merriment than partake in it. 

Most of all, though, Ben likes the speech she gives once the sun has set and everyone has a glass of champagne.

“I dated before I met Finn,” she begins bluntly. “And there were a lot of things I liked about those people. And then I met Finn and there was a lot to  _ not _ like about him. He refuses to get rid of his leather jacket even though it’s held together by staples and the grace of God. He talks  _ incessantly _ . Every time he hears a siren, he says, ‘Ope, they found me.’”

“I do not do it  _ every _ time,” Finn protests, much to the amusement of the guests.

Rose grins. “But I am completely and impossibly head-over-heels for this man. My parents used to tell me that you like because, and you love despite. You like someone for their qualities, and you love someone despite some of their qualities. And Finn...I like you almost as much as I love you, and I cannot wait to get married to you.”

Finn strides forward to kiss her, earning applause from the guests.

“Okay, get drunk everybody!” Finn shouts when he pulls away, arm wrapped around Rose. “I need to spice up my insta!”

Finn does, indeed, take pictures as they all drink, getting what promises to be an unflattering picture of Ben, Rey, and Rose doing shots. He takes pictures, too, while Rey and Ben dance, Rey moving smoothly to the music while Ben awkwardly shakes his limbs.

“You are really bad at this, you know?” she tells him.

“Oh, believe me, I’m aware,” he says. “I learned to dance at bar mitzvahs.”

Rey throws back her head and laughs.

The song changes to a slower one.

“Now, this I can do,” he says, relieved. He holds out a hand, and after a moment, a smiling Rey takes it.

“What do you think Maul and Qi’ra’s because, despite is?” she asks him as they turn slowly on the rooftop, her small hand in his much larger one, his other hand on her waist.

“What do you mean?” he asks, distracted by the way she keeps leaning. She’s definitely drunk. And he probably isn’t much better.

“You know, that like because, love despite thing Rose was talking about,” she says. “What do you think Maul and Qi’ra’s is?”

Ben considers her question. He can’t think of anything. “Why are you thinking of our bosses right now?”

“Because our lives revolve around them.”

He sighs. “True.”

“What do you think theirs is?” she persists.

“Who even says they’re in love?” he counters, more because he genuinely doesn’t know. They like each other because their assistants set them up, and if they love each other, it’s despite being set up by their assistants. 

Isn’t it?

“True,” she concedes. “What about you?”

“What about me?” he asks, surprised.

“What about you and Bazine? Your because, despite.”

“We don’t love each other,” he says automatically, and then winces. 

“I kind of figured when you left her at the party,” she admits. 

He sighs. “My relationship with Bazine is...complicated.”

“Seems very simple, to me.”

He peers at her. “How so?”

She shrugs. “You like the idea of each other more than the actual people.”

And Ben...Ben stumbles back, because it feels like he’s been slapped in the face. 

Because Rey is right. He likes having a girlfriend who’s a model, but the second she stopped ignoring him today, he left her to hang out with Rey. And Bazine...what does she even see in him? Is it because she likes the picture they make? 

“Ben?” Rey asks, concerned.

“I need a drink,” he decides, staggering to the bar. Rey follows, watching as he orders two shots of whiskey. “Here,” he says, sliding one to her. 

Rey takes the shot with him, but her eyes are wary. “You okay?”

“I’m an idiot,” he announces, wiping his lips.

“You’re not an idiot,” she says flatly, setting down the shotglass to touch his arm. 

“I’ve been dating this woman who doesn’t even like me,” he realizes aloud. “This whole time, I thought she saw something in me, but whatever she saw...it isn’t me.”

Rey takes his face in her hands. “Ben. You are drunk. We need to fix this.”

“How?” he whines. 

She squeezes his cheeks. “Pizza.” She lets go of his face and trots to Finn and Rose, who are hanging out near the bar and watching everyone have a good time. “Finn,” she says intently. “Rose. I love you both. But there’s no pizza on this roof.”

Finn opens his mouth, but Rose says, “I understand.”

“Do you want to come with us?” Rey asks, but Rose shakes her head.

“We can’t, but you go, and have fun.” She and Finn both hug Rey, who grabs Ben’s hand and drags him away. 

Neither of them see the pizza that’s being delivered.

.

They can’t stop talking about pizza; Rey lifts the lid, just once, and Ben scolds her for letting out the smell. 

“I wish this pizza was my bed,” she moans.

As Ben is starting to unlock his apartment, he says, “Don’t ever tell anyone I said this, but I want to fuck this pizza.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” she tells him, swaying. “But you can never tell anyone else that you said that. Ever.”

“Yeah, I--” the door swings open and fills the hall with the sounds of lovemaking. Ben hurriedly closes the door.

“Fuck. Poe has someone over. I  _ knew _ he’d get laid because of that party.”

“So what do we do?” Rey asks with wide eyes.

He bites his lip. “The fire escape.”

.

And that’s how they find themselves climbing up the fire escape to Ben’s room. He goes first, scaling the first few rungs before throwing the pizza onto the platform; he crawls up after it and then pulls Rey into his room. They collapse beside his bed, pulling the box into their laps. 

“It’s so beautiful,” Rey whispers, her head swimming with all the alcohol she’s consumed and the smell of the deep dish pizza in front of her. She reaches in, tugging one slice free from the others and sinking her teeth into the thick, cheesy, tomato-y heart of the pizza. She moans orgasmically, taking another bite even as Ben pulls free his own slice. 

“I love deep dish,” she says around a mouthful of pizza.

“Me too.” His own voice is thick with cheesy carbs. “It’s the best kind of pizza. Fuck your New York thin crust.”

“Fuck it!” she agrees, very nearly spraying his carpet with Giordano’s. She wipes her mouth before diving in for another piece. “I’d never had deep dish until I moved here. And I was all alone. And now Finn is getting married, and I’ll be alone again.”

“You’re not alone,” Ben says softly, setting down his pizza. He takes her hand in his, eyes boring into hers.

She swallows. “Neither are you.”

She doesn’t know why she says it, let alone why she says it  _ like that _ . It’s just that...well, Ben  _ is _ alone. He doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life, he has no social life because of his job, and his girlfriend doesn’t even like him. He’s totally lost.

Just like Rey.

Suddenly, a cell phone buzzes, making Rey jump. It’s Ben’s, and on the screen is a perfect selfie of Bazine.

Ben hits the red button, depositing the phone on his bedside table. 

“Ben,” she starts to say, but he shakes his head.

“Please don’t,” he murmurs, those eyes still boring into hers. “Don’t say anything to ruin it.”

Rey doesn’t know what he means. Or maybe she does, but it’s all so much and she’s so drunk and this pizza is making her unbelievably sleepy. Her head droops onto his shoulder, her body turning towards his. 

“I’m tired,” she mumbles.

“Want me to walk you home?” he asks, one arm looping around her.

She shakes her head, eyes fluttering. “Let me crash here.”

He’s quiet for a long moment. Just before she drifts off, she hears him say, “Whatever you want.”


	6. Chapter 6

Rey sleeps like a baby. 

Ben sleeps decidedly less so, because he rarely has female company in his bed, and when he does, she never spends the night because she has to get home and do her nightly skin routine. 

He’d lifted Rey onto the bed and tucked her in while he slept on top of the covers beside her, keeping a respectable distance between the two, and then barely slept that night because all he could think about was the woman lying beside him.

He thinks that Rey has become his best friend; and he thinks, too, that he loves her a little bit. But friends love each other, don’t they? That’s normal.

...right?

.

Rey wakes up to the smell of food and the sound of men’s voices. She rolls over and realizes she’s not in her apartment.

She’s in Ben’s, where she crashed after eating two slices of deep dish pizza. At some point, she’d moved to the bed, but she doesn’t remember how. Had she gone of her own accord? Or had Ben carried her?

For some reason, that thought embarrasses her. 

She gets up and pads out to the kitchen, where Ben and Poe are talking while stirring batter and flipping pancakes on a griddle. 

“You’re making pancakes?” she asks.

Ben, who’s wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, looks...really, really good. He looks good in a suit, of course, Rey can’t deny that, but there’s something very enticing about the way she can see his muscles through his shirt, the sleeves showing off his arms. His hair is sleep-tousled, too, his face stubbly from where he hasn’t shaved yet. 

Oh god.

She’s attracted to Ben.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he says, smiling at her. “We were just talking about you.”

“Oh yeah?” she asks, hopping up on one of the stools and trying not to stare at Ben.

Poe is also serving some freshly tousled morning looks as he makes Rey some coffee.

“I was teasing Ben because girls never sleep over in his room,” Poe says.

“Not even Bazine?” she asks, propping her chin on her hands.

“I don’t wanna talk about her,” Ben mumbles, turning back to the griddle.

“Speaking of sleeping over,” Rey says, clearing her throat, “Where’s your  _ amour _ , Poe?”

“He already left,” Poe says with a wink.

“Ohoho,” Rey says, grinning. 

“He had an early morning shoot.” Poe brings her a mug of coffee and sets down a container of creamer beside it. She dumps in so much creamer that her coffee turns a pale brown. Ben sets a plate in front of her heaped with pancakes, followed by a container of maple syrup. Rey digs in at once, moaning as she eats the delicious food. 

“Good?” he asks, smiling.

She nods. “Good.”

She spends the rest of the morning eating pancakes and hanging out with Ben and Poe, laughing and having a good time. This, she remembers, is what it feels like to have friends.

She looks over at Ben and smiles.

Ben smiles back.

.

After Rey leaves (taking what’s left of the deep dish pizza with her), Ben spends the rest of his Sunday ignoring Bazine’s texts and trying not to have a crisis about his relationship. He’d always wondered what it was about her that made Poe not like her, but now he’s starting to understand. It wasn’t that Poe had inherently disliked Bazine, it was that he disliked the way Bazine viewed her relationship with Ben--which is to say, only when it was convenient and fit into her picturesque world. 

“Do you think I should dump her?” he asks Poe. “I mean, she hasn’t really  _ done _ anything, but…”

“Are you happy?” Poe asks. “With her?”

Ben thinks. “I don’t know,” he says honestly.

“You should. You should know if she makes you happy.”

For some reason, Ben can’t help but think of Rey and her smile.

.

When Rey gets into the office on Monday, she finds a post-it on her phone.

_ Rey, _

_ Meet me on the forty fifth floor. _

_ -Maul _

Surprised, Rey takes the elevator up to the forty-fifth floor, heading for Qi’ra’s office. Ben is at his desk, looking up at her with a surprised sort of happiness.

“Hi,” she says softly.

“Hi,” he says in a tone to match hers.

Maul pokes his head out of Qi’ra’s door. “You two, in here.”

Rey’s soft happiness sharpens into fear. Oh god. Maul and Qi’ra know, don’t they? They’ve figured it out. She’s dead. She and Ben are getting fired. 

The two assistants walk quietly into Qi’ra’s office. She’s sitting in her chair; Maul stands beside her, possessive hand on her shoulder.

“Rey,” he says, “this is Qi’ra and her assistant, Ben.”

Rey turns to Ben...and then realizes that they don’t know what she and Ben have been up to. They think she and Ben have never met before. Smiling, Rey extends her hand, shaking Ben’s.

“Hi,” they say awkwardly, in their best imitation of people who have never met before.

“You two should get to know each other,” Qi’ra says, taking Maul’s hand. “Because Maul and I are getting married.”

“That’s wonderful!” Rey cries, so relieved that she’s not getting fired. “I mean that’s really amazing!”

“Yeah, congratulations,” Ben echoes.

“Thank you,” Qi’ra says, beaming. “We’ll be counting on you as we get ready for the wedding.”

“Of course!” Rey says, pulling out her planner. “And when do you anticipate that being?”

“Next Saturday.”

Her mouth falls open. “Next...Saturday?”

“What can I say?” Maul looks at Qi’ra with a twinkle in his eye. “She wants to make an honest man of me.”

Rey touches her heart. Is it possible that they’ve really fallen in love? That she and Ben matchmade two people who were destined to be together?

...or is this something else? Are they really in love, or do they only  _ think _ they are?

Rey starts to wonder if she’s made a huge mistake.

.

Ben is finishing up his work for the evening when Rey comes up to his desk, fiddling with her hands.

“We did it,” he says, grinning at her.

She looks startled. “What?”

“We made two people fall in love,” he says, exultant. “I thought they’d date for  _ maybe _ a month, but they love each other, and now they’re getting married, and it’s all thanks to us.”

Rey takes a deep breath. “Ben...I think we might’ve made a mistake.”

His face falls as he looks at her. She’s visibly upset, wringing her hands, face pale beneath her freckles. 

“What do you mean?” he asks slowly.

She takes another deep breath. “Maul and Qi’ra...they didn’t fall in love with each other,  _ we _ made them  _ think _ they were in love. This...everything we’ve done, it’s a  _ lie _ .”

Ben turns to fully face her, his heart pounding. What Rey’s saying...it’s  _ true _ , but it also means ruining  _ everything _ . If they say anything now, if they try to stop Maul and Qi’ra from getting married, the two bosses will be even more miserable than they were before and Ben’s life will become a living hell. Qi’ra has already promised to promote him after the wedding, and he can’t risk mucking things up until then. 

“This was your idea,” he reminds her slowly.

She shakes her head. “It was, but...like you, I thought it would only be for a month, not...not ‘til death do them part. And it won’t even be that long, because at some point we’ll stop being their assistants and they won’t have anyone to help them along the way and they’ll just...fight and fall apart and get a divorce.”

And Ben...Ben knows she’s right. He knows that they are the glue that keep their bosses together, and without that glue, without the men behind the curtain, they’re just two people who were tricked into love. 

But.

If they keep this going, if they push through to the wedding, Ben will get a promotion, and Rey can finally write that article for Maul instead of just talking about it. 

“Maybe they won’t,” he says, as much to convince himself as to convince her. “Maybe they really  _ are _ in love, and they’ll stay in love even after we leave their lives.”

Rey shakes her head. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

He swallows. “I have to. This job--”

“Is all that matters to you,” she finishes, visibly disappointed. “It matters to you more than what happens to these two.”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Rey,” he says a bit harsher than he means to. 

She shakes her head, stepping back. “I’m going to tell them.”

“Don’t,” he begs, rising from his chair. “Rey, I  _ need _ this promotion, or--”

“Or what?” Her eyes are shining as she stares him down. “You don’t even like the promotion you’ll get, you just...you don’t know what you want, but you think you do. That’s your problem, Ben.” Her voice cracks. “I’m going to tell Maul. I don’t care if he fires me. I’d deserve it. And so would you.” And with that, she turns on her heel and heads for the elevators.

He should stop her. He should run after her. He should do... _ something _ .

Instead, he slumps down in his chair and stares at his desk. 

What has he done?

.

Rey finds Maul and Qi’ra in the building’s bar, nestled close and smiling in one of the booths. She squares her shoulders before sliding into the seat opposite them.

“Rey,” Maul says, startled. “What’s going on?”

She takes a deep breath, folding her hands. “I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” he asks, concerned.

She feels sick to her stomach. Impulsively, she reaches for Qi’ra’s drink and downs half of it, throat burning from the sting. 

“You’re not in love with each other.”

Maul and Qi’ra exchange shocked expressions.

“ _ What _ ?”

“I know. I know how it sounds.” She rubs her temple. “Ben and I...we’ve known each other this whole time. We set you up.”

“No you did not,” Maul harrumphs.

“We did,” Rey says, a pleading note entering her tone. “We arranged for you to sit near each other at the Cubs game, we paid off the camera guy to get you on the kiss cam. I came to you for ‘dating advice’ when really it was just a ploy to call back Qi’ra.” She closes her eyes, breathing deeply through her nose. “Everything you like and don’t like...we made spreadsheets. It was all planned. You don’t love each other, you just think you do because we made you think it.”

Maul and Qi’ra are silent. When Rey finally dares to look at them, their faces are stony.

“You’re fired,” Maul says coldly. 

His voice terrifies Rey. She stumbles out of the booth, running out the door and dodging servers as she goes. 

She feels rotten, and horrible, and disgusting, but she knows that she did the right thing.

She only hopes Ben will do the right thing, too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are - the end! Thanks for reading <3

Ben’s employment doesn’t last much longer than Rey’s. As soon as Qi’ra storms up from the bar to confront him, he admits to everything. She’s furious with him, and deservedly so; when she tells him to collect his things and never show his face here again, he does so without argument. 

On the train home, he calls Rey.

She doesn’t pick up.

.

Rey spends the next few days in an angry fog. She has decided that, gifted with the unexpected free time that comes with unemployment, she is finally going to sit down and write her article. It’s going to be heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and life-changing.

She just has to write it first.

She spends hours in front of her computer, muttering to herself, and when she’s finally slapped some sentences on the page, she screams at herself, “ _ Be better! _ ”

But nothing makes her better, and after a long time, she calls Finn in tears. He leaves work early and races over to her place, eyes widening as he takes in the scene before him. 

“What  _ happened _ ?” he asks, gesturing to Rey curled up in a blanket, surrounded by Chinese takeout bags. “Why aren’t you at work?!”

“I got fired,” she says, tearing up.

Finn has the audacity to grin. “That’s good! Rey, you were underappreciated there--I’m so glad you’re free now! Now you can get a job that actually treats you well!”

She shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I spent  _ months _ there, and now Maul hates me and is never gonna help me start my writing career. If I even have one after this.” 

“Can’t you start writing now that you have a life again?” he asks kindly.

Rey shakes her head again. “I’ve been trying to write this same article for  _ days _ , and it’s just...it’s  _ bad _ , Finn, I can’t write it.”

Now it’s his turn to shake his head. “Rey...it’s a first draft. Of course it’s gonna be bad. It’s gonna be terrible. That’s why you go back and edit until it’s good. But you can’t go back until you have something written down.”

Rey wipes her eyes. “You’re right,” she realizes. “I’m...gonna write a terrible article.”

“Yes you are!” he says encouragingly. 

“I’m gonna write a terrible article!” she says, louder.

“It’s gonna suck ass,” he agrees. “I can’t wait to read it.”

Smiling, Rey opens up her laptop and gets to work.

.

It is a shitty draft. An exceptionally shitty draft. And Rey has never been prouder of herself. 

It’s only when she closes her laptop, wondering if the corner store sells champagne with which she can celebrate, that she sees several missed calls; some from Ben, and some, oddly, from Maul. She hits the notifications and listens to the voicemails.

_ “Rey...it’s Ben. I know you’re mad at me, but I just wanted to say that...you were right. What we were doing wasn’t right. And keeping my silence didn’t even matter because Qi’ra fired me. It’s...what I deserve.”  _ A deep sigh. “ _ Please call me back.” _

**_“Rey, it’s Maul. I would really like for you to come to my office. If you can. I was...overhasty in firing you, and I’d like to talk, face to face. Please.”_ **

The gentleness in Maul’s tone surprises her. She calls him back, wincing when he answers the phone.

“Rey?”

“Hi,” she says, clearing her throat. “Um...when should I come...see you?”

“Is today too soon?”

“I can do today.” Unable to help herself, she says in a bitter tone, “I don’t have much going on.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He truly sounds it. 

“I can be there in…” She considers the commute, and the fact that she hasn’t showered in a couple days. “Two hours?”

“Two hours is perfect.”

.

When Rey arrives at her old place of work, she has to force herself to take every step until she’s in the elevator. Her heart pounds against her ribcage, her breathing shallow as the elevator ascends up to the twenty-third floor.

Once there, she walks past the familiar desks and heads for Maul’s office. He looks up from his computer and stands up, coming to shake her hand when she pushes through the glass door.

“Rey. Thank you so much for coming.” He clasps her hand in his. “It’s been...difficult, without you.”

“I guess that’s comforting,” she mumbles.

“I really don’t know how you held everything together, because it’s been absolutely falling apart without you,” he says sincerely. “Would you consider coming back?”

Rey takes a deep breath. “Not as your assistant,” she says, trying not to let her voice waver. “I...admire you so much, Maul, and you’re everything I want to be when I get older and more experienced, but...being your assistant nearly killed me. It killed my ability to write, and that’s what I really want to do. Write.”

He considers her. “Have you written anything? Weren’t you telling me about a story you wanted to write, about a girl looking for her parents?”

Rey swallows. “Yeah. Yes, I...I just finished it. A few hours ago, in fact.”

Maul smiles. “Tell you what: you help me find a new assistant, someone who can adequately fill your shoes, and I’ll take a look at this story.”

“Really?” she breathes.

He nods, smile widening. “Yes. I’ll take a look at all your stories, if you like.”

“Maul, that would be...that would be amazing,” she babbles. “I can’t even...I always wanted to ask, but--”

“You were too busy setting me up?” he asks wryly.

She winces. “About that…”

“Hold that thought.” He checks his phone and then nods. “Right. Come with me.”

Confused and curious, Rey follows him to the elevator, eyes widening when he presses the button for the forty-fifth floor. This can only mean they’re going to see Qi’ra. But...why? To make Rey grovel, perhaps? 

When they get to Qi’ra’s office, they see her sitting on her desk, talking to Ben. Both of them look up when Maul pokes his head in the door.

“She’s here.”

Qi’ra smiles. “Come in.” 

Maul stands beside Qi’ra while Rey falls into place by Ben, both unwilling to look at him and unable to help herself.

“After we fired you both, we...got to talking,” Qi’ra says, taking Maul’s hand in hers. “We were horrified that our relationship had been built on a lie.” She takes a deep breath. “But then we realized...even if our assistants had been the ones to arrange everything...our relationship succeeded because we do love each other.” She smiles at Maul, who kisses her knuckles. Rey feels her heart skip a beat. 

“I may not have a spreadsheet,” Maul says, “but I’ve learned so much about Qi’ra, and even if that means the process was a bit...expedited, my feelings for her haven’t changed. She is the most incredible woman I have ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

“You crossed every line,” Qi’ra clarifies to the two former assistants. “I almost considered taking you to court. But I understand that...whatever motivated you, you were trying to help us. We’ve spent the last few days reacquainting ourselves with each other,  _ without _ the both of you, and...we still want to get married.”

“You do?” Rey breathes.

Qi’ra nods. “We do. And we have you to thank for it.” 

“You almost made a terrible mistake because of us,” Ben says quietly. “I’m not sure we deserve thanks.”

“But you do,” Qi’ra insists. “Even if it was inappropriate. I haven’t...had very good relationships in the past. Neither of us have. And if we weren’t meant for each other, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. Do you think we would’ve sat next to each other at the Cubs game if we hadn’t been genuinely attracted to one another? Or gone home with each other from one little kiss? And the argument we had right before we left for the Dells--you two aren’t the ones who fixed it. We were. We did that on our own.”

Rey realizes that the other woman is right. She and Maul weren’t thrown at each other; they fell into each other, already drawn to one another. Ben and Rey just...helped give them a push. 

“So we want to thank you,” Maul says. “And we hope you stay in touch.”

“I would be honored,” Rey tells them both. Not just Maul; she admires Qi’ra, too, and knows she could learn a lot from the other woman.

“Me too,” Ben agrees.

Qi’ra smiles. “We’ll see you around.”

Rey takes this as her cue to leave, so she and Ben head out of the office and towards the elevators.

“So,” she says softly.

“So,” he echoes.

They stand in silence until the elevator arrives. They step in, relieved that it’s just the two of them.

“Did Qi’ra ask you to come in?”

He nods. “Yeah. She wanted to take me back. I told her no.”

Rey raises her eyebrows. “No?”

“No,” he cheerfully confirms. “I’ve decided to make a fresh start. I’m a temp now. The pay is shit, but I get to try other offices and gigs and...see what I like and what I don’t like.”

“That’s good,” she says sincerely. 

He nods. “What about you?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve spent the last few days writing an article.”

He raises his eyebrows. “ _ Really _ ?”

“Yeah. Maul’s gonna take a look at it.”

“That’s awesome,” he says, sounding as sincere as she had. “Rey, that’s...that’s what you wanted.”

“Yeah. It is.”

The elevator swings to a stop. The two of them look at each other.

“Are we...stuck?”

“I think so?”

Rey’s phone buzzes. She glances down and sees a text from Maul.

_ You’re on Kiss Cam; you know the rules. _

She shows it to Ben, mouth agape. Her heart is pounding, her palms sweating. Have her feelings for Ben been that obvious? And what’s more--does Ben feel that way about her.

He flushes. “Holy shit.” He looks up at the security camera. “What the fuck?”

“I’m so sorry,” she says weakly. “I know you don’t...like me that way, and--”

“I do.” He swallows, turning to look at her. “Rey, I’m...crazy about you. I have been for a very long time. There...there was a  _ spark _ with you.”

She feels suddenly like crying. “Really?”

“Really.” He takes a step towards her. “And if I’m being honest, I’m not just crazy about you, I...I love you. I have since you fell asleep on my shoulder while we were eating deep dish pizza.”

“What about Bazine?” she asks, trembling.

He shakes his head. “We broke up. You were right--we liked the idea of each other more than the actual people. I never really liked Bazine. I never felt about her the way I do about you.” He touches Rey’s cheek, brushing away her tears. “Hey. It’s okay.”

“I love you too,” she admits softly. “Despite the fact that you displayed a total lack of character when it mattered most, and despite the fact that you dated the most insidiously vapid human being I’ve ever met, and despite the fact that you--”

He cuts her off with a kiss. Rey wraps her arms around his neck, kissing him back with ardor. Dimly, she becomes aware that the elevator starts to move again. She reaches over to the panel and slams the emergency stop button.

“What are my despites?” she asks, kissing his neck.

“You talk too much,” he says at once. “I once saw you eat off the floor. Your concentration face is frankly cartoonish.”

“And yet,” she murmurs.

“And yet,” he agrees. “I am hopelessly in love with you, Rey Johnson.”

And before she can tell him that she loves him too, he kisses her again.

Setting up their bosses, Rey realizes, was the best thing they’ve ever done.


End file.
